Chapter 31
A letter from an unknown sender.
I wonder if someone is playing a prank.
Come to think of it, children often play pranks on each other through letters.
I’ve received a few in my past life and in my current one.
Was it called a “letter of luck”? This letter supposedly originated in England and so on and so forth…
Depending on the letter, the contents varied, but the format was generally similar.
After reading the letter, you had 24 hours to write the same content in a letter and send it to someone else, or misfortune would find you.
I think it was when I was in elementary school.
Reading that letter made me so scared that I vividly remembered writing letters to others in a hurry.
“Maybe this is also one of those. Even though they might be in 5th grade, they’re still playing pranks like this…”
“I don’t think so… Who would send a letter like this, let alone through mail? They wouldn’t prepare an envelope just to play a prank. Plus, they even attached a heart sticker…”
“Well, that’s true.”
It made sense.
I nodded my head.
Meanwhile, I glanced at Yeonha.
“Why has she been like that since earlier?”
Yeonha seemed restless.
While her bunny ears kept twitching, her gaze was fixed on my letter.
Her voice also sounded somewhat unnatural.
It seemed like she was trying not to show anything, but even the most insensitive person would notice that something was off about Yeonha.
“She must be curious about the letter.”
In truth, I was curious too.
To dispel the doubts about who sent the letter and for what purpose, I decided to tear open the envelope.
At that moment, she looked surprised.
“Are you going to open it here?”
“Then where should I open it?”
“Judging by the sticker, the person who wrote you the letter probably wanted to read it alone in a quiet place…”
“Just read it when you want, what’s the big deal. Should I be considerate of someone I don’t even know?”
“But it’s class time now, right?”
“I’m ethical enough to not need to attend class.”
“Oh, okay….”
Removing the sticker was not easy.
I tore the envelope haphazardly.
Three heart stickers were torn apart.
“Ah….”
As if desperately wanting to become the letter itself.
Yeonha muttered.
Ignoring her reaction, I took out the letter from the envelope.
The contents of the letter were concise.
“After school, I’ll be waiting for you on the rooftop. There’s something I really want to tell you.”
“….”
There was no sender indicated.
Only two sentences were written.
The handwriting was elegant, and judging by the polite content of the letter, it didn’t seem like a prank.
Leaving that aside.
‘…If we’re going to see it, we might as well see it together, why sneak a peek?’
A rabbit’s ear twitching beside me.
Unable to resist the curious gaze of Yeonha, I handed her the letter.
“Well. If you’re curious, read it yourself.”
“Can I read it? Isn’t it rude to the sender….”
She was already reading the letter despite saying that.
So engrossed in reading, she even crumpled the letter in her hand.
“As I thought….”
From Noble mtl dot com
Eventually, Yeonha moved her lips.
It was a hint of suspicion.
I asked her.
“What do you think? Why do you think they’re calling me to the rooftop?”
“…What do you think?”
“….”
I was the one who asked the question first.
Why answer a question with another question.
Puzzled, I got lost in my thoughts.
Just as Yeonha had her suspicions, I had mine.
This letter….
“Is it a duel after all?”
“What?”
I couldn’t help but think so.
If not, who would send me a letter?
Above all….
“If someone asks you to come to a rooftop that’s not easily noticed, is it anything other than a challenge to fight?”
“….”
“In that case… is the reason the sender isn’t indicated on the letter because it’s not just one person?”
“Well, um, it’s just that….”
“Haneul, what do you think?”
“Me?”
“Didn’t you have the same thought?”
“Ah, um… Similar. Very slightly.”
Yeonhaneul agreed.
I held firm in my thoughts.
‘The timing is also exquisitely right.’
On the other hand, there was another reason behind my deduction.
A few days ago, I had showcased my archery skills in front of all the family members.
As a result, I became engraved as a competitor in their eyes.
Perhaps they took measures to restrain me.
‘People wouldn’t resort to cowardly acts to hold me back, but you never know.’
The person waiting on the rooftop was likely someone influenced by the family.
So, I needed to be prepared just in case.
“Haenul, lend me a sword later.”
“Huh? Why a sword?”
“I might need to use it. I’m sorry you gave it to me to use, but I might need it first.”
“No, that’s okay… Shall I fight with the sword?”
“If necessary.”
“…Can’t we just not go?”
“I’m curious who requested it.”
“…”
If someone from the family was pulling strings, I had to find out the mastermind.
Therefore, it was necessary to meet the individuals waiting on the rooftop.
Yeonhaeul interjected at that moment.
“Hey, there.”
“Yeah.”
“Have you ever thought this letter might have been written for a different purpose?”
“Is there any other purpose besides this?”
“For example… someone sending you a confession out of admiration…”
“That’s absurd.”
“Why?”
“I’m not the type to be popular, right?”
In the game, Dogyeonwoo was depicted as a slender young man, fitting the image of a soft, cowardly crybaby.
He wasn’t quite muscular enough to give off a manly vibe.
Moreover.
“He seems to easily get scared and cry, lacking confidence in his voice.”
If I were a woman, I wouldn’t like a character like Dogyeonwoo.
Of course, I shouldn’t equate myself with the enlightened character from my past life and the game’s Dogyeonwoo, but it hadn’t been long since I realized my past life.
Just about three months now.
It wasn’t enough time for schoolmates to realize I had changed.
Most likely, the majority still saw me as a coward.
So, her assumptions were meaningless.
“…You’re more popular than you think.”
“Really? Thanks for saying that.”
“It’s not a lie, though…”
I was grateful for her consideration not to hurt my pride.
Listening in on ethics class from the back of the classroom,
I absentmindedly played with her rabbit-like ears, which had a complicated look.
◈
He’s not the type to be popular.
That’s what Dogyun said, but it was solely his opinion.
‘Is he only like this to me… No, maybe he’s just not interested in school life?’
Yeon Haneul had no friends except Gyoun, but she still had ears to listen.
She knew how the girls at school thought of Dogyun.
“Doyun seems different, don’t you think? So mature?”
“We’re different from the other guys in our class. Should I say he seems relaxed? It’s like he’s overflowing with confidence, knowingly or unknowingly.”
“We were in the same class last year, and he’s definitely changed from before. I knew him, and he was never this polite.”
Mature, relaxed, confident, and polite.
Regardless of how he was before, since becoming a 5th grader in elementary school, Dogyun had been receiving such evaluations.
Unlike the boys who played mean pranks or teased to show affection to girls, Dogyun, who was much more mature, naturally stood out.
“I think Doyun is okay too.”
“You too, Suji!?”
Kim Suji, who was popular in the class, was acknowledged as well.
“Well, that’s true. It’s not just because she’s my friend, but she’s much better than the other guys. Only I know, but she’s so caring and subtly takes care of others…”
Yeon Haneul also acknowledged it.
Being close to him, she knew more details about him than the other girls did.
It brought about a subtle sense of superiority.
On the other hand, Dogyun’s background was also another factor that drew people to him.
“And he’s from the Shingeom Do family. Just being from a prestigious family makes him seem different, doesn’t it?”
“I think I know what you mean. Even when he’s quiet, you can feel his dignity, right?”
“Compared to him, other guys seem childish… How can they be so different at the same age?”
“I didn’t know before, but lately, it feels like he’s living in a different world.”
“I thought the same. When I saw him bring out the sword earlier, I thought, ‘Oh, he’s living in a different world than us.’ It made him look… cool.”
Children who grew up in ordinary households.
For those young ones with limited boundaries, hunters or monsters were considered as extraordinary beings seen only on TV.
However, the extraordinary being was in the same class as them.
To those leading mundane lives, Shingyeom Do, with his mysterious existence living in a different world, inevitably became the subject of curiosity.
The mystique of him living in another world had the potential to act as a charm.
“…You know, you’re more popular than you think.”
Yet, for some reason, he didn’t like undervaluing himself.
So, he ended up revealing it in secret.
“Oh, really? Well, thanks for saying that.”
Shingyeom Do understood his empty words.
It was a complex feeling for her.
‘I wish he’d just play with me without knowing how popular he is… but I also want to show him how popular he is…’
The feeling of wanting a different Shingyeom Do just for herself.
And the desire for him to grow into everyone’s Shingyeom Do.
Yeonnaneul was torn between conflicting emotions.
As time passed, it suddenly became after school.
“Today, you go ahead. I have something else to do.”
“…Really? You’re leaving?”
“I have to, then. I’ll give you the black one tomorrow.”
Shingyeom Do got up, gathering his belongings.
Yeonnaneul hesitated as she watched him, carrying a black sword on his shoulder.
In her heart, she wanted to persuade him not to go.
“See you tomorrow.”
“…Yeah, see you tomorrow.”
But trying to hold him back made her feel like she was becoming a bad person.
Surely, the other person had mustered the courage to call Shingyeom Do out.
However, if she were to hold him back, she would end up hurting the feelings of the person waiting for him.
In the end, with a heavy heart, she had no choice but to let him go.
“…”
Even though he had packed everything.
Her feet hesitated to take the first step.
Yeonnaneul stared intently at the bag on the desk, lost in thought.
Thoughts intertwined endlessly.
‘Was he called out to confess after all?’
‘Shingyeom Do probably thinks that would never happen…’
‘So, if he doesn’t have the thought, he will reject, right?’
“But what if I accept the confession?”
“Will the two of us start dating?”
“Then, will I no longer be able to be by Geonwoo’s side?”
“….”
No, I really don’t want that.
A shadow fell over Yeonha’s face.
Her bunny ears drooped.
Was the backpack this heavy?
She couldn’t spread her shoulders wide.
At that moment, her thoughts took a different turn.
“But what if… what if, as Geonwoo said, that’s the real battleground?”
“You never know.”
“What would happen then?”
“Will Geonwoo be okay…?”
“Since it’s Geonwoo, he won’t get hurt, right?”
“What if it’s not just one person?”
“It’ll be tough alone.”
“I’ll have to go and help too.”
“It might be more dangerous than I thought.”
“In case of emergency, someone should call the teacher or report it to the police.”
“To do that… “
In case of the unexpected, she had to secretly follow.
Her thoughts made a leap like that.
“This isn’t about peeking.”
“It’s because I’m worried about Geonwoo.”
Yeah, that’s right.
As a friend of Do Geonwoo, isn’t that something I can do?
Yeonha briskly prepared herself.
Was the backpack this light?
She hopped like a rabbit towards the rooftop.
***
After school.
I went up to the rooftop.
Opening the door, the sky stretching over the fence surrounding the surroundings caught my eye.
“Has he not come yet?”
I lifted my foot under the sky.
Approaching the fence, I could look down at the students leaving school.
Even Yeonhaneul must be among that group.
Thinking that way,
Hwaaak.
I unfolded my detection net.
Mana waves formed around me spread throughout the rooftop.
Soon, a presence was caught in my detection net.
‘Three people.’
They were gathered in one place.
So, I spoke to the ones hiding behind the water tank.
“Come out quickly. It’s not safe there.”
Did they hear me?
A noise came from the direction of the water tank.
“You go out first!”
“Why does it have to be me!?”
“In times like this, the eldest should go out!”
A quarrelsome exchange of words.
It felt like I had heard it somewhere before.
Do I know these people?
If I check their faces, I’ll know.
I warned those who showed no sign of coming out.
“If you don’t come out quickly, I might just tear down the water tank with you in it.”
“W-Wait! I’ll come out now!”
Only then did they react.
The ones behind the water tank hurriedly emerged.
I recognized their faces.
“Geum Eundong?”
“T-That’s right! Gyeonuya, we! Uggeumdong!”
“Ueundong!”
“Udongdong!”
The triplets who tormented me relentlessly.
Extra villains in the game who called themselves Cerberus.
Seeing them, my brows furrowed.
I quickly grasped the situation.
So….
“Did Dosungu ask you to harass me again?”
“What?”
“Or is it another cousin?”
“What are you talking about!?”
“Or maybe you felt wronged and planned revenge?”
“You seem to be misunderstanding something….”
“It worked out well. Just as I hoped.”
In truth, the idea of knocking these guys down didn’t excite me much.
But they were offering me a perfect opportunity, so I was grateful.
I unraveled the cloth wrapped around my sword and approached them.
“Hey! Why do you have a sword?”
“What’s your deal!?”
“We’re not planning anything!”
“This is ridiculous.”
It seemed the triplets, unlike me, didn’t have weapons on them.
Did they think they could take me down even without weapons if they ambushed me together?
I decided to make them regret underestimating me.
“It’s a shame there’s no Military Blue Sword.”
They were perfect for testing out the reverse blade mode of the Military Blue Sword.
Unfortunately, it couldn’t be helped.
I resolved to knock them down with the blunt side of the sword.
With that in mind, I drew my sword when…
“Kyungwoo! Please help us!”
“Help us, please!”
“We’re begging you!”
“…Huh?”
In a flash.
The triplets flattened themselves on the ground.
I couldn’t help but feel dumbfounded.
‘What kind of trick is this?’